Beyond Six Seconds Podcast

Apr 28

April is Autism Awareness Month and to commemorate the Neurodiversity experience I chat with Carolyn Kiel of Beyond Six Seconds Podcast on Episode 114

Carolyn Kiel Bio

On her multi-award-winning podcast, Beyond 6 Seconds, she features neurodivergent and disabled entrepreneurs, creatives and advocates who shatter misconceptions, break stigma and showcase the vibrance and diversity of these communities. With this podcast, she has created a platform where neurodivergent and disabled people can showcase their candid experiences, in their own words. Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vassar College and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Carolyn’s background includes an adult diagnosis of Autism.

“I am Carolyn Kiel. I live in New Jersey. I grew up in a small town in Westchester County, New York. Outside of my academics at school, I enjoyed being a musician: I played alto saxophone for many years, and I've been singing in choruses and music groups on and off for most of my life. I also played in a handbell choir at my church. I went to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and got my bachelor's degree there in psychology. I played in the college jazz band and also discovered a cappella singing when I joined the Night Owls, a small women's cappella group. After college I also spent many years singing with another a cappella group called the MetropoliTones, based in New York City. Music has given me many opportunities to travel internationally (I toured Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan with the handbell choir) and sing in famous places like Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, and Carnegie Hall.

Soon after graduating from college, I started working as an administrative assistant at a large global financial services company. I worked on many different programs in that company, including change management, enterprise risk management, and data governance, all of which also required me to write and create employee training and communications. I realized that I wanted to work in a training-focused role, so I pivoted my career to learning & development, getting experience doing training design and management at other companies, and getting my graduate degree part-time in Industrial and Organizational Psychology while I worked.

Now I work at a telecom company as an instructional designer, and it's been great! A few years ago I was taking a break from singing but still wanted a creative outlet, so I decided to try hosting a podcast. (I already knew about audio recording and web hosting from my singing days, so I figured the skillset might translate!) I started my podcast, Beyond 6 Seconds, in 2018 as a general interview show. In 2022, I changed the focus of my show to neurodiversity, after getting diagnosed with autism a few months earlier.